Being religious only appears to make people more co-operative or unselfish when they are dealing with other people of the same faith, it suggested. The findings, likely to prove controversial, emerge from a study carried out by Nottingham University Business School as part of government-funded research into the role of religion in public life.

A team of behaviour experts asked a group of Malaysian people with different religious backgrounds to take part in a series of tasks involving sharing money with other participants. In one task people were given an imaginary sum of money and given the option of sending some to another participant. They were told that whatever they did not send they would be able to keep but also that the participant could chose to send some of it back – which would then be tripled.

The team noticed that there was little difference between levels of co-operation and generosity when people knew nothing of the other person’s beliefs and when they knew that they were of different persuasions. But when told that the other person shared their religion they were markedly more trusting and generous with the money.

Dr Robert Hoffmann, an Associate Professor of Economics at Nottingham University Business School and co-author of the report, said: “One would imagine the charity inherent in many well-known articles of faith might have some impact on everyday behaviour. But we discovered no evidence of that when we examined what happens when people who are religious knowingly interact with those of a different or no faith.

“When we looked at how religious people knowingly interact with those of the same faith, on the other hand, suddenly their religion started to explain their actions. This leads us to the sobering conclusion that religion doesn’t affect people’s behaviour in general terms. Rather, it affects how they relate to different individuals.”

Obviously, “love thy neighbour” only works if you are the same brand of Christian, and favouring your own is not an unnatural thing to do. We know from Leviticus that those of The Faith should not charge interest to their fellows, should treat slaves “of The Faith” better than foreign slaves, and expect outsiders to comply with their wishes and we know from the NT that you really shouldn’t associate with non-believers.

Like many social societies, it seems that having a ritual binds people together and trust grows amongst them. If the ritual involves accepting something stupid, so be it – at least the person you’re dealing with won’t think you an idiot. The stranger the belief is, the more closely are the adherents bound to each other but the smaller the group (see Jim Jones et al).

So, if you are wanting a favour from a Christian, intersperse your conversation with “Praise God/Jesus/etc.”

« Last Edit: January 22, 2013, 10:07:33 AM by Graybeard »

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Nobody says “There are many things that we thought were natural processes, but now know that a god did them.”

That is probably the prime reason that religion evolved. To create a structured theme that all in a group adhere to.

Of course, the job of money itself is to help define and separate. The rich, the poor, the entrepreneurs, the working class, etc. It creates a conflict of interest in the same social groups that are held together by the common bond of religion. Everything is perfect in the world right now, financially, but I can see where this could eventually cause problems. (Note to any religious person reading this: that was a joke.)

And too, some want the common bond of religion to expand out and become the common bond of law, so that those not in the religious group are still forced to pretend they are.

This is all too complex. Being prejudiced and selfish should be much easier.

Another example is when there is a plane crash or a terror situation like the gas plant in Africa. The main focus (at least over here in the states) is how many Americans were affected. If none, we go on and don't pay much attention. We don't seem to put as much value on our neighbor if they are not American...and then later we get into if you are the right kind of American or not.

I wonder if this might just start to chop away at the idea that religion should get benefits from the state in the for of tax exemptions etc. If they can be seen not to benefit society maybe we don't need to give them any special treatment.

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No testimony is sufficient to establish a miracle, unless the testimony be of such that its falshood would be more miraculous than the facts it endeavours to establish. (David Hume)

here's another true story, i am centrally located within 5 different churches...here's another true story, answer the door in lingerie when the moromons come knocking, and they don't usually get any words out before they turn and leave satan"s doorstep your welcome for the tip..

....answer the door in lingerie when the moromons come knocking, and they don't usually get any words out before they turn and leave satan"s doorstep.....

As we commonly say on here......pictures or it didn't happen!

that would be weird to involve a photographer...but maybe next time lol it's an old trick a girlfriend showed me one time and it does actually work...don't believe me..try it for yourself and see what happens lol and i want pics!!

....answer the door in lingerie when the moromons come knocking, and they don't usually get any words out before they turn and leave satan"s doorstep.....

As we commonly say on here......pictures or it didn't happen!

You are all a bunch of male sexist pigs who obviously only use the "brains" located above your ball sacks!

Could you... ahhhhh... meybe e-mail me a couple of those pics....? Purely for research purposes, of course, and not because I happen to be a lesbian....

seriously laughing my arse off...you guys & gals...ha ha ha i'm mearly offering a suggestion of what i know to work as an easy, argument free, way of ridding yourself of good mormons...now the bad ones...heh heh, they're not so quick to run the other way lol so you've been warned... & i will not be held accountable for anyones virginity being taken against their mormon wills... if nothing else, it will give them a more fun answer at the dinner table when mom asks how the walk went...that is if they can muster up the truth about what they saw lol i've never run across old mormons, it's always the young ones around here, i just assumed they stick the old ones outta the way somewhere.

here's another true story, i am centrally located within 5 different churches...here's another true story, answer the door in lingerie when the moromons come knocking, and they don't usually get any words out before they turn and leave satan"s doorstep your welcome for the tip..

ha ha anfauglir, hey man, what ever it takes to get them to steppin, i'm all for..feelin brave, go in the buff like nam...me, i like to leave a little something to the imagination lol but you do you the way you do! I have awesome ideas lol

When I was at uni I used to have a sign on the front door of my flat that said "Please leave your motivation at the door and don the cap of apathy". When some Mormons turned up they asked me in confused voices, "Does that mean you don't want to talk to us?" and I laughed like a crazy person as I explained it had nothing to do with them at all. They never came back.

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You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.